Two o’clock on the dot, our TukTuk driver Nicky arrived for our afternoon in Battambang and, after a short drive out of town, we arrived at a shed alongside the main railway line. This was where we were to pick up the Bamboo Train.
The Bamboo Train is simply two axles placed on the rails by our driver like a weight lifter, one of the axles has a drive belt attached. A bamboo platform is then placed across these axles and something like a lawnmower engine is placed over the rear axle. We paid our $10 and climbed aboard, we made ourselves comfy on a couple of square foam cushions as the driver hooked up the fan belt and started the little engine with a quick tug of the pull-cord. Speed is simply adjusted by a stick that pulls the engine tighter against the drive belt and pretty soon we were rattling along the train track at a cracking pace, enjoying the scenery as it flashed by.
Our journey was broken, briefly, by the new dual-carriageway that crosses the track, we simply picked up our cushions, crossed the road and hopped aboard up a waiting bamboo train on the other side, again we soon picked up speed and headed for our final stop – a collection of tin hut gift shops selling T-shirts, skirts, dresses etc. I succumbed to the sales pitch buying myself a T-shirt. Ten minutes later our flying table-like train arrived and we whizzed back to the road crossing where we had to clear the track and wait for the actual daily train to rumble past us. As soon as the train had passed, the bamboo carriages were reassembled and we rattled back down the track to be reunited with our TukTuk driver.
Our next stop was Phnom Sam and the killing caves. This was the first temple we visited that was not presented for tourists – it was unkempt, scruffy and populated by hundreds of very aggressive macaques that our driver did his best to steer us around. The temple is at the top of a steep hill but we paid for a jeep ride up to avoid the hot climb although there was still some climbing to get to the viewpoint at the very top of the hill. The view of the surrounding area was definitely worth the sweat.
Just below the summit was yet more evidence of Cambodia’s horrific past; a killing cave, used by the Khmer Rouge to kill local people by pushing them from the opening at the top – if they didn’t die the first time they were carried back to the top and thrown in again! Part of the cave is now a temple with a memorial in the centre although the entire area felt cold and eerie.
Leaving the summit, we made our way down the overgrown hillside for the original purpose of our trip to Battambang – the national cave. Every evening millions of bats leave the cave to make their way to Tonle Sap to feed on the bugs over the lake, filling the sky with a dense black ribbon of bats as far as the eye can see. As we came back down to the road, we could see the bats already starting their exodus. Positioning ourselves directly under the cave, we could hear their squeals as they flew overhead. After 30 minutes of watching, we moved to a roadside table for snacks and a drink where we could enjoy the rest of the show. It was as wonderful as we hoped it would be.
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